The other snow leopards were nodding.
“It can be hard,” Cal continued. “Because you’ll both have issues. You’ll both have problems from your past, and you’ve got to face together if it’s going to work out. But it’s worth it. The most worth it of anything you’ll ever do.”
“Ordinarily,” Nate said in distant tones, “I’d object to all of this romantic bull. But I suppose we are looking forward to your wedding tomorrow, so it’s unavoidable.”
“Nothing wrong with romantic bull,” Ty said comfortably. “I just prioritize other things, that’s all. My sisters, my nieces and nephews, my community, serving my country.”
One of the snow leopards toasted him. “That’s a sign of a good man, there.”
“Just means you’ll be a better husband someday,” Cal pointed out.
Nate tossed a crumpled-up bar napkin at him. “You have to say that, you’re getting married tomorrow.”
Wilson was thinking about what Cal had said. “You all ever think that maybe someone’s issues were insurmountable?” he asked. “Maybe a lady can’t seem to accept that you’re truly mates?”
All at once, Cal and the rest of the veterans were staring at him. Wilson might have ruined his image as a lofty omniscient officer, here. But he didn’t care, because several of the snow leopards had nodded.
“You have to communicate,” said one of the leopards. Grey, that was it. Ironically, Wilson thought this was the first time he’d heard the man speak. “A lot of advice just says, keep after her, don’t give up. But that’s not gonna help as much as using your mouth and your ears like a grown-up and learning why she’s shying away. Or telling her why you are. You give in to any macho bullshit about being a strong silent alpha, you’re just going to lose your chance.”
“You having lady problems, sir?” Ken ventured.
Wilson smiled at them. “It’s Wilson,” he said. “And that’s my business.”
“Fair enough.”
Mercifully, he changed the subject back to the upcoming wedding after that, and the atmosphere relaxed fairly quickly.
And to Wilson’s surprise, there wasn’t much in the way of overt stiffness on the part of the Marines. Cal was the most formal, even after a few beers had gone down, but even he was able to smile and kid around a little bit with the group.
Nate, Ken, Carlos, and Ty relaxed much faster. By the end of the night, Wilson had heard all about Ty’s sisters and looked at pictures of their kids. He’d also gotten a rundown of Nate’s job as a security consultant—and learned that the viciously sarcastic, ruthless-in-combat Ken actually had an environmental science degree.
Progress, Wilson thought. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a loner as he’d been imagining, if he could have a good time even with men he’d used to command.
He remembered insisting to Mavis that there was no way he could get a beer with these men, not without completely inhibiting the conversation. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so certain of that.
In addition to catching up with the Marines, he heard bits and pieces about the trials all of the snow leopards had gone through when they’d met their mates. It seemed like every one of them had had some kind of seemingly impossible problem to get past—and they all agreed that being open and honest was the solution.
“You gotta start like you mean to go on, anyway,” said Cal, a little tipsily, leaning forward to meet Wilson’s eyes. “If you can’t talk about what’s wrong now, how’re you going to be a family together? And that’s the most important thing. The most important thing in the world.”
Wilson solemnly agreed. It was certainly true. Although he was also glad that shifter biology meant that Cal wasn’t going to be suffering from a hangover on his wedding day. He didn’t know how huma
ns managed that sort of thing.
He left the party early, still wanting the men to have a chance to cut loose without a former commanding officer around. Because maybe they could relax a bit, but he was sure they’d be rowdier after he left.
He’d talk to Mavis tomorrow, and whatever she was so worried about, he’d make sure it was all taken care of. Anything she needed—reassurance, time to think it over, some sort of demonstration that he was sincere, and nothing like her no-good ex—he’d give it to her.
He just hoped it was enough.
***
The day of the wedding dawned bright and clear, but Mavis was full of apprehension instead of joy.
What would she say, when she saw Wilson? What would he say to her?
She had no idea. She was afraid to even allow herself to visualize what would happen if he was right about them being mates. Too good to be true didn’t even cover it.
She drove to the church with shaky hands, and parked and slipped in at the very last minute, taking her place in the back.